“The long shadows lengthen into night . . . a young woman finds herself not only amongst strangers but in a place she knows only as vague whispers and entries from her father’s diaries . . . alone . . . threatened with destruction by all those around her should they discover her secret, and yet she feels she is the monster. . . . “
The creak of the coffin lid sounds loudly in the small, barren room. Slender fingers reach out to grasp the wooden edges. In the secret room of the sealed east wing of the recently restored Old House, Nikki Collins arises from her coffin. She feels strangely weak. The coffin lid slips and slams heavily down. Her hands tremble as she struggles to work the lock of the door to the room what keeps her secret well concealed.
She is well aware of the desire, the need that causes her to grow more and more anxious, makes her feel far too agitated – a need and a desire, she has struggled with both for several days. Determined that she will not be overcome, she thinks of her father’s journals, his conflicted nature, how he feared allowing himself to be overwhelmed by the evil within himself. Languidly she makes her way into the main room of the renovated ancestral home, walking not on the exact carpet that her father would have tread, it having succumbed to the fire, but perhaps the same path he would have made to the window in order to look out at the darkening horizon.
Her thoughts are upon the chance meeting the night before with the two gentlemen from Arkham, Dr. Artemis and Mr. de’Annar. Their conversation in the fashionable restaurant; the arrival of SatSet from the Society of Ankh, but more importantly, she thinks about the way the restaurant staff shunned her. She has done nothing since her arrival in Collinsport to arouse anyone’s suspicion and yet she felt their fear, how could they know . . . is it instinctual?
A knock of at the door startles her, something that immediately causes her concern, as she should have sensed someone approaching. It’s Elanor. Nikki smiles. She hurries to the door. The young woman enters as Nikki invites her into the Old House and Nikki, watching her enter finds she is immediately enthralled by her beauty. The shimmer aura of her silver hair. Nikki offers her a seat and sits across from her so she can watch the flickering light of the candelabrum upon the center of the coffee table cast odd highlights in her hair.
Nikki explains how glad she is that Elanor accepted her invitation to visit her at the Old House. She discusses the renovation, and scattered fragments of her past, her attention drawn irresistibly to the young woman. She cannot help staring at her eyes, her lips, at her throat. As they talk, Nikki becomes more and more aware of the beating of the young woman’s heart. Elanor explains her own fascination with the night.
Nikki feels the longing, the overwhelming desire, she feels she must do something suddenly to break the hypnotic spell she feels herself trying to weave over the lovely Elanor. She suggests they go for a walk seeing as how they both so enjoy the night.
Elanor accepts.
Of course, Nikki subconsciously finds herself leading them closer and closer toward Eagle Hill Cemetery. The high heels of her boots striking now the earth in almost perfect precision as she strides like a lithe predator into the land of the dead. Elanor Looking to the night sky follows.
Ahead of her, trying not to listen, Nikki can sense her, hear her breath, the beat of her heart, see the throb of her pulse there so obvious along her smooth, lovely throat.
Nikki moves ahead trying to break the enthrallment. She feels he has lost control, idly chatting about whatever comes to mind. Elanor is so beautiful. In the moonlight her silver hair glows. Nikki talks about how she needs to resist the urge, and Elanor agrees that the moon pulls at her also.
Nikki feels herself growing weak and so sits atop one of the old outdoor crypts, but finds she almost swoons and so lies down. And sweet Elanor, yes, she climbs atop and lies beside her, and yes, she is so close, and she wants to reach out, to touch her hand, yes, she so longs for a caress . . . while at the same time there is the conflict with the thought it can all be done so quickly done in just one . . . quick . . . rush.
Suddenly the spasms of pain are like nothing Nikki as ever felt since she has become one of the undead. They double her up. She gasps and moans, Elanor tries to comfort her; she kneels to Nikki and caresses her forehead asking if she needs any help. Nikki tells her yes . . . “yes, please help me home.”
Only the pain is too intense, she feels herself beginning to convulse atop the rough cold stone of the crypt. Fangs distend. Elanor tires to help the young woman from atop the burial monument when suddenly Eppeus appears out of the mist. “I can carry her,” he tells Elanor.
Eppeus helps her down, and asks her has she not been dining on the shipments the Society has been sending her. Nikki gasps and explains that she hasn’t been eating because she does not want to feed the beast within her. She looks up and pleads with Elanor not to remember her this way as her fangs exposed in the serious moonlight.
Eppeus holds her in his lap as he attempts to weave a spell to calm her tormented mind. Eppeus explains to Elanor that Chiyo will be with them soon and not to be surprised, more to warn her about Chiyo’s temperament than her appearance.
Chiyo enters the cemetery and marches over with two packets of fresh blood. Nikki can smell them, knows them to be fresh, and oh still warm, oh GOD, how she wants them. Chiyo tosses the plastic blood bags into Nikki’s face.
Nikki cries out God has damned her to which Chiyo explains that God isn’t going to be of much help if she starves herself to death. “If you do not feed, you will become the mindless monster you fear, and I will hunt you down!” Chiyo angrily tells Nikki.
Nikki grabs at the packs of blood and bites into one letting the warm, exciting liquid fill her mouth, rush down her throat . . . famished, like a wild animal she gorges herself on the two pints of fresh blood supplied by Chiyo.
Blood dripping from her face and hands, damp on her dress, Nikki tries to rise but gets no further than to her hands and knees as she suddenly feels as if she is about the expel the blood violently, even as she sways with the rush of exhilaration the crimson liquid in her stomach now gives. Chiyo demands to know how long she has starved herself. Nikki tells her two days. Chiyo standing over Nikki harshly explains that the blood is donated in order to stave off the monster Nikki fears, that volunteers expressly have given up their life’s blood for her and so, what has she done with it? Wasted it! (The blood packs from the day before having not been used, apparently).
Nikki sudden feels the overwhelming rush of the fresh blood as it floods through her, she sits upright, her blue eyes gone bright blue.
Chiyo turns her anger upon Eppeus. She wants to know if he has explained to Nikki how the blood donations are make, how they are supplied so as to keep those like Nikki from succumbing to the desire to hunt, to kill! Although he says he has, it is apparent that he has not.
Nikki now sits with a look that is all too reminiscent of sexual satisfaction. Aware of the look, Chiyo asks Eppeus if it is like that for him also. Eppeus with a roll of his eyes explains that he is far too old for that type of teenage reaction. All this time Chiyo very annoyed continues to refer to Nikki as some hybrid-person-woman, for which she has little compassion. Finally Eppeus chastises Chiyo and snappishly explains that she has a name: “Her name is Nikki!”
Nikki flies to perch atop the cemetery wall and looks down at them, her eyes a blazing blue. She explains that she did not ask for this; her life was taken away; and she doesn’t know why; that she was only 28. Eppeus replies he was 19. Nikki explains she was turned only eight months ago and it’s all so new, that she loves the power she welds, it is so easy to seduce and bend people to my will, and I like doing it. And yet, I know it is all nothing but evil!
Chiyo explains that the power is what use you make of it. “Feeling bad and sorry for yourself isn’t going to serve your needs and it isn’t going to help you at all, your feelings will control you, or you will control them, and if you do, you can learn from them.” Even though Chiyo’s voice is hard and filled with anger, Nikki knows she has someone she can talk to.
Her head lolling side to side as she rides the rush of blood exhilaration Nikki sighs, “Yes, I know, I have to accept who and want I am.”
Cue end of Episode Music